Actress Whoopi Goldberg dressed in a nun's habit presented a group of Catholic nuns with $10,000 and a new van as a surprise. This is for their work with poor communities in New York City. The Franciscan Handmaids of the Most Pure Heart of Mary are an order of black sisters who serve the African American community in Harlem. Their work involves youth evangelisation, education, palliative care and a food pantry. Goldberg, famously played a nun the film Sister Act. She invited members of the order to appear on her talk show ‘The View’ after seeing their work providing food parcels for their community, Whoopi spoke to Sister Gertrude Ihenacho, a Nigerian-born sister who serves with the order, Goldberg, who grew up in New York, said: “Now I understand that the biggest challenge you all are facing, when it comes to running the pantry, is keeping enough food stocked to feed the over 20,000 people that you feed a year - is that correct?” “Well I think we might have a solution”. One of the nuns; Sr Gertrude, who could not contain her excitement, jumped up and down.Please SHARE this and Pray for Actress Whoopi that she may to gain the Faith!

Eugene de Mazenod (1782-1861)Bishop of Marseille, founder of the Congregationof the Missionaries, Oblates of Mary Immaculate

CHARLES JOSEPH EUGENE DE MAZENOD came into a world that was destined to change very quickly. Born in Aix-en-Provence in the south of France on August 1, 1782, he seemed assured of position and wealth from his family, who were of the minor nobility. However, the turmoil of the French Revolution changed all that forever. When Eugene was just eight years old his family fled France, leaving their possessions behind, and started a long and increasingly difficult eleven year exile.

The Years in Italy

The Mazenod family, political refugees, trailed through a succession of cities in Italy. His father, who had been President of the Court of Accounts, Aids and Finances in Aix, was forced to try his hand at trade to support his family. He proved to be a poor businessman, and as the years went on the family came close to destitution. Eugene studied briefly at the College of Nobles in Turin, but a move to Venice meant the end to formal schooling. A sympathetic priest, Don Bartolo Zinelli, living nearby, undertook to educate the young French emigre. Don Bartolo gave the adolescent Eugene a fundamental education, but with a lasting sense of God and a regimen of piety which was to stay with him always, despite the ups and downs of his life. A further move to Naples, because of financial problems, led to a time of boredom and helplessness. The family moved again, this time to Palermo where, thanks to the kindness of the Duke and Duchess of Cannizzaro, Eugene had his first taste of noble living and found it very much to his liking. He took to himself the title of "Count" de Mazenod, did all the courtly things, and dreamed of a bright future.

Return to France: the Priesthood

In 1802, at the age of 20, Eugene was able to return to his homeland - and all his dreams and illusions were quickly shattered. He was just plain "Citizen" de Mazenod, France was a changed world, his parents had separated, his mother was fighting to get back the family possessions. She was also intent on marrying off Eugene to the richest possible heiress. He sank into depression, seeing little real future for himself. But his natural qualities of concern for others, together with the faith fostered in Venice began to assert themselves. He was deeply affected by the disastrous situation of the French Church, which had been ridiculed, attacked and decimated by the Revolution. A calling to the priesthood began to manifest itself, and Eugene answered that call. Despite opposition from his mother, he entered the seminary of St. Sulpice in Paris, and on December 21, 1811, he was ordained a priest in Amiens.

Apostolic endeavours: Oblates of Mary Immaculate

Returning to Aix-en-Provence, he did not take up a normal parish appointment, but started to exercise his priesthood in the care of the truly spiritually needy-prisoners, youth, servants, country villagers. Often in the face of opposition from the local clergy, Eugene pursued his course. Soon he sought out other equally zealous priests who were prepared to step outside the old, even outmoded, structures. Eugene and his men preached in Provencal, the language of the common people, not in "educated" French. From village to village they went, instructing at the level of the people, spending amazingly long hours in the confessional. In between these parish missions the group joined in an intense community life of prayer, study and fellowship. They called themselves "Missionaries of Provence". However, so that there would be an assured continuity in the work, Eugene took the bold step of going directly to the Pope and asking that his group be recognized officially as a Religious Congregation of pontifical right. His faith and his persistence paid off-and on February 17d, 1826, Pope Leo XII approved the new Congregation, the "Oblates of Mary Immaculate". Eugene was elected Superior General, and continued to inspire and guide his men for 35 years, until his death. Together with their growing apostolic endeavours-preaching, youth work, care of shrines, prison chaplaincy, confessors, direction of seminaries, parishes - Eugene insisted on deep spiritual formation and a close community life. He was a man who loved Christ with passion and was always ready to take on any apostolate if he saw it answering the needs of the Church. The "glory of God, the good of the Church and the sanctification of souls" were impelling forces for him.

Bishop o f Marseilles

The Diocese of Marseilles had been suppressed after the 1802 Concordat, and when it was re-established, Eugene's aged uncle, Canon Fortune de Mazenod, was named Bishop. He appointed Eugene Vicar General immediately, and most of the difficult work of re-building the Diocese fell to him. Within a few years, in 1832, Eugene himself was named auxiliary bishop. His Episcopal ordination took place in Rome, in defiance of the pretensions of the French Government that it had the right to sanction all such appointments. This caused a bitter diplomatic battle, and Eugene was caught in the middle, with accusations, misunderstandings, threats, and recriminations swirling around him. It was an especially devastating time for him, further complicated by the growing pains of his religious family. Though battered, Eugene steered ahead resolutely, and finally the impasse was broken. Five years later, he was appointed to the See of Marseilles as its Bishop, when Bishop Fortune retired.

A heart as big as the world

Whilst he had founded the Oblates of Mary Immaculate primarily to serve the spiritually needy and deprived of the French countryside, Eugene's zeal for the Kingdom of God and his devotion to the Church moved the Oblates to the advancing edge of the apostolate. His men ventured into Switzerland, England, Ireland. Because of his zeal, Eugene had been dubbed "a second Paul," and bishops from the missions came to him asking for Oblates for their expanding mission fields. Eugene responded willingly despite small initial numbers, and sent his men out to Canada, to the United States, to Ceylon (Sri Lanka), to South Africa, to Basutoland (Lesotho). As missionaries in his mould, they fanned out preaching, baptising, caring. They frequently opened up previously uncharted lands, established and manned many new dioceses, and in a multitude of ways they "left nothing undared that the Kingdom of Christ might be advanced." In the years that followed, the Oblate mission thrust continued, so that today the impulse of Eugene de Mazenod is alive in his men in 68 different countries.

Pastor of his Diocese

During all this ferment of missionary activity, Eugene was an outstanding pastor of the Church of Marseilles-ensuring the best seminary training for his priests, establishing new parishes, building the city's cathedral and the spectacular Shrine of Notre Dame de la Garde above the city, encouraging his priests to lives of holiness, introducing many Religious Congregations to work in the diocese, leading his fellow Bishops in support of the rights of the Pope. He grew into a towering figure in the French Church. In 1856, Napoleon III appointed him a Senator, and at his death he was the senior bishop of France.

Legacy of a Saint

May 21, 1861, saw Eugene de Mazenod returning to his God, at the age of 79, after a life crowded with achievements, many of them born in suffering. For his religious family and for his diocese, he was a founding and life-giving source: for God and for the Church, he was a faithful and generous son. As he lay dying he left his Oblates a final testament, "Among yourselves-charity, charity, charity: in the world-zeal for souls." The Church in declaring him a saint on December 3, 1995, crowns these two pivots of his living-love and zeal. His life and his deeds remain for all a window unto God Himself. And that is the greatest gift that Eugene de Mazenod, Oblate of Mary Immaculate, can offer us.

Sr Veronika Terézia Racková, director of St. Bakhita Medical Center in Yei, has died in Nairobi hospital on Friday just days after being shot by an SPLA patrol in Yei town. Racková was driving with an expecting mother in an ambulance after midnight on Monday when she was shot, according to reports from Yei. Although evacuated to Nairobi, Kenya, for medical treatment, she passed away days later. Yei River State Information Minister Stephen Ladu confirmed her death to Radio Tamazuj: “Today, May 20th, 2016 we received a message of her death. H.E Governor David Lokonga Moses, the entire government and the people of Yei River state are grieved and heartbroken with the sad news on the death of late sister Veronica.” He added, “Late Veronica had been serving at St Bakhita hospital for more than five years. She had been a great service provider to thousands of lactating mothers and babies in Yei River state.” Three soldiers are currently held responsible awaiting court trial in Yei. Earlier this week, a civil society organization, Centre for Democracy and Development, called for relocation of the army forces out of Yei town. The organization’s program manager Dara Felix, said withdrawing the army out of the town will help the government in tracking down criminals intimidating and killing civilians in and out the town. “We equally demand that the army except the joint patrol force must be relocated outside the town. They are really causing a security threat to the people of this town. We have a number of cases of people being arrested, intimidated and time has come for all these forces to be out of the town,” said Felix. Racková was a Slovak national and member of the Holy Spirit Missionary Sisters. In the past she served in Italy, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, and Ghana. Shared from Radiotamazuj

A Christian girl who was burned by ISIS asked her mother to forgive her killers just before she died In Mosul, Iraq the girl asked for forgiveness for her killers as she lay dying in her mother’s arms with fourth-degree burns. ISIS burned the Christian family’s home in Mosul, Iraq. They had demanded money for the Jaziya - a religious tax to be paid by non-Muslims. Iraq has been named the second most dangerous place in the world for Christians due to the influence of ISIS. They have displaced millions from their homes and threatened, tortured and killed the remaining. This type of burning is common as they conduct regular door-to-door threats. Jacqueline Isaac, a human rights advocate, said: “The ISIS foreign fighters were at her door and they told her ‘you have two choices, you are to leave now or you are to pay the Jaziya’. “She said ‘I will pay, give me a few seconds my daughter is in the shower’. “They said ‘you don’t have a few seconds’ and they lit the house with a torch from the bathroom the daughter was showering in.” The last thing the girl said: ‘Forgive them’. Flames took over the family home and both mother and child escaped but later the child died from her burns. Miss Isaac added: “The daughter had fourth degree burns and the mother took her daughter, scrambling, doing anything to save her. “Rushed her to the hospital and her daughter died in her arms. “The last thing her daughter said: ‘Forgive them’.”The child, is thought to be around 12-years-old,.Please PRAY for the Persecuted Christians in Iraq and the World and SHARE this...

A Communiqué was published Saturday by the Holy See Press Office on various articles regarding the “Third Secret of Fatima.”

“ Several articles have appeared recently, including declarations attributed to Professor Ingo Dollinger according to which Cardinal Ratzinger, after the publication of the Third Secret of Fatima (which took place in June 2000), had confided to him that the publication was not complete,” – the Communiqué reads – “In this regard, Pope emeritus Benedict XVI declares ‘never to have spoken with Professor Dollinger about Fatima’, clearly affirming that the remarks attributed to Professor Dollinger on the matter ‘are pure inventions, absolutely untrue’, and he confirms decisively that ‘the publication of the Third Secret of Fatima is complete’.”

Three children in Portugal saw apparition of the Virgin Mary six times between May and October 1917

According to one of the visionaries – Sr. Lúcia de Jesus Rosa Santos – on July 13, 1917, Our Lady entrusted the children with three secrets, which she later wrote down and delivered to the Pope.

The third secret was not revealed with the others, but Pope John Paul II decided to release it in the Jubilee Year of 2000.

Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary TimeLectionary: 346

Reading 1JAS 5:13-20

Beloved:Is anyone among you suffering?He should pray.Is anyone in good spirits?He should sing a song of praise.Is anyone among you sick?He should summon the presbyters of the Church,and they should pray over himand anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord.The prayer of faith will save the sick person,and the Lord will raise him up.If he has committed any sins, he will be forgiven.

Therefore, confess your sins to one anotherand pray for one another, that you may be healed.The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.Elijah was a man like us;yet he prayed earnestly that it might not rain,and for three years and six months it did not rain upon the land.Then Elijah prayed again, and the sky gave rainand the earth produced its fruit.

My brothers and sisters,if anyone among you should stray from the truthand someone bring him back,he should know that whoever brings back a sinnerfrom the error of his way will save his soul from deathand will cover a multitude of sins.

Responsorial PsalmPS 141:1-2, 3 AND 8

R. (2a) Let my prayer come like incense before you.O LORD, to you I call; hasten to me;hearken to my voice when I call upon you.Let my prayer come like incense before you;the lifting up of my hands, like the evening sacrifice.R. Let my prayer come like incense before you.O LORD, set a watch before my mouth,a guard at the door of my lips.For toward you, O God, my LORD, my eyes are turned;in you I take refuge; strip me not of life.R. Let my prayer come like incense before you.

AlleluiaSEE MT 11:25

R. Alleluia, alleluia.Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.R. Alleluia, alleluia.

GospelMK 10:13-16

People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them,but the disciples rebuked them.When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them,“Let the children come to me; do not prevent them,for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.Amen, I say to you,whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a childwill not enter it.”Then he embraced the children and blessed them,placing his hands on them.

He was born of very mean parents at Walpole, in Norfolk, and in his youth carried about little peddling wares which he sold in villages. Having by degrees improved his stock, he frequented cities and fairs, and made several voyages by sea to traffic in Scotland. In one of these he called at Holy Island, or Lindisfarne, where he was charmed and exceedingly edified with the retirement and religious deportment of the monks, and especially with the account which they gave him of the wonderful life of St. Cuthbert. He inquired of them every particular relating to him, visited every corner of that holy solitude and of the neighboring isle of Fame, and falling on his knees, prayed with many tears for grace to imitate the fervor of that saint in serving God, resolving for that purpose to give up all earthly pretensions. He entered upon a new course of life by a penitential devout pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and visited Compostella in his way home. After his return into Norfolk, he accepted the charge of house-steward in the family of a very rich man. The servants were not very regular, and for their private junketings often trespassed upon their neighbors. Godrick finding he was not able to prevent these injustices, and that the nobleman took no notice of his complaints about them, being easy so long as he was no sufferer himself, left his place for fear of being involved in the guilt of such an injustice.

After making a pilgrimage to St. Giles in France, and to Rome, he went to the north of England in order the better to carry into execution his design of devoting himself wholly to a retired life. A fervent servant of God, named Godwin, who had passed a considerable time in the monastery of Durham, and by conversing with the most holy monks and exercising himself in the interior and exterior practices of all virtues, was well qualified to be a director to an inexperienced novice, joined our saint, and they led together an austere anchoretical life in a wilderness situated on the north to Carlisle, serving one another, and spending both the days and nights in the praises of God. After two years God called Godwin to himself by a happy death after a short sickness. St. Godrick having lost his companion, made a second painful pilgrimage to Jerusalem. After his return he passed some time in the solitude of Streneshalch, now Whitby; but after a year and some months went to Durham to offer up his prayers before the shrine of St. Cuthbert, and from thence retired into the desert of Finchal, or Finkley, three miles from Durham, near the river Wear. St. John Baptist and St. Cuthbert he chose for his principal patrons and models. The austerities which he practiced are rather to be admired than imitated. He had his regular tasks of devotion, consisting of psalms and other prayers which he had learned by heart, and which he constantly recited at midnight, break of day, and the other canonical hours, besides a great number of other devotions. Though he was ignorant of the very elements of learning, he was too well experienced in the happy art of conversing with God and his own soul ever to be at a loss how to employ his time in solitude. Whole days and nights seemed too short for his rapturous contemplations, one of which he often wished with St. Bruno he could have continued without interruption for eternity, in inflamed acts of adoration, compunction, love, or praise. His patience under the sharpest pains of sicknesses or ulcers, and all manner of trials, was admirable; but his humility was vet more astonishing. His conversation was meek, humble, and simple. He concealed as much as possible from the sight and knowledge of all men whatever might procure their esteem, and he was even unwilling any one should see or speak with him. Yet this he saw himself obliged to allow on certain days every week to such as came with the leave of the prior of Durham, under whose care and obedience he died. A monk of that house was his confessor, said mass for him, and administered him the sacraments in a chapel adjoining to his cell, which the holy man had built in honor of St. John Baptist. He was most averse from all pride and vanity, and never spoke of himself but as of the most sinful of creatures, a counterfeit hermit, an empty phantom of a religious man: lazy, slothful, proud, and imperious, abusing the charity of good people who assisted him with their alms. But the more the saint humbled himself, the more did God exalt him by his grace, and by wonderful miraculous gifts. For several years before his death he was confined to his bed by sickness and old age. William of Newbridge, who visited him during that time, tells us that though his body appeared in a manner dead, his tongue was ever repeating the sacred names of the three divine Persons, and in his countenance there appeared a wonderful dignity, accompanied with an unusual grace and sweetness. Having remained in the desert sixty-three years, he was seized with his last illness, and happily departed to his Lord on the 21st of May, 1170, in the reign of Henry II. His body was buried in the chapel of St. John Baptist. Many miracles confirmed the opinion of his sanctity, and a little chapel was built in his memory by Richard, brother to Hugh Pidsey, bishop of Durham. See William of Newbridge, 1. 2, c. 20; Matthew Paris, Matthew of Westminster, his life written by Nicholas of Durham his confessarius, and abridged by Harpsfield, Saec. 12, c. 45. Source : Lives of the Saints by Alban Butler